


I Cry For You

by Mintstream



Series: The Amazing Spider-Woman [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Female Peter Parker, Gen, Kidnapped Peter Parker, Kidnapped Tony Stark, Kidnapping, Original Character(s), Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Starvation, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, shes like an adaptation, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25577719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mintstream/pseuds/Mintstream
Summary: The gaunt and unfamiliar woman smiled at him unnervingly, "We're in my house in France. The nearest town is well over fifty miles away, so I wouldn't try anything."France. Not the worst place to be, but it was concerning nonetheless. He and Penny had been in New York, and this woman had moved them thousands of miles without being detected. She clearly knew what she was doing. It was then he noticed that he didn't have any trackers on him, and nor did Penny. His watch and his phone were gone, and the clothes he were wearing weren't his, so it was a no-go there as well."Great, France," he responded sarcastically, "Nice scenery, great architecture. Why are we here?""You're my husband."What.AKA Penny and Tony get kidnapped and must now find a way to contact the Rogues before their kidnapper gets sick of them. Updates every day
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: The Amazing Spider-Woman [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899001
Comments: 73
Kudos: 248





	1. Aurora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bitch i wrote this entire story in ten days. it's weak but it's kinda fun

When Tony woke up, it was to a pounding headache. He winced and let out a groan, confused. The billionaire wasn't a stranger to migraines, whether from his shoddy past or the amount of concussions he's had in his lifetime, but he couldn't for the life of him remember why his head hurt so much. He tried to recollect why it was.

He hadn't been drunk, that he was pretty sure of. He hadn't completely thrown away all of the alcohol in his life, but he'd been drinking responsibly for once, for a couple reasons. The first being just how insane and down the rabbit hole he'd gone after Siberia, and a fresh new wave of pain flooded him even as he thought about it. The recording had always been there in the back of his mind since he'd first seen it seven months ago, ever present and unforgiving. He must have drunk thousands of dollars of scotch and wine after that first week, just trying to repress and forget and help Rhodey and not think about Barnes or Steve, though it was difficult.

But, he'd found, it had become less difficult thanks to one Penelope Parker.

Sure, he'd pushed her away at first, kept her at arm's length and watched from afar in a half-assed attempt to keep her safe, especially when she'd started moving on from just the little things that came with being Spider-Woman. After the Ferry Incident, he'd thought he'd made a rift too big to repair between him and the teenager he was 'mentoring,' but then his plane had crashed and he'd gotten a call that the kid had saved it. Had saved it and left a note and he'd just been so relieved to find out she was alive, looking through street cams as he'd watched her swing home clumsily.

He'd been so proud and so grateful, he hadn't known what to do other than give her what she'd wanted. Or at least what he thought she'd wanted.

After she'd turned down being an Avenger to "Look out for the little guys," he'd finally tried to take a proper swing at being a 'mentor.' He'd invited her to her lab, given her boxing and self-defense lessons, actually looked out for her, and little by little, they'd grown closer. Tony hadn't thought she would want to, after he'd ignored her for two months and then done nothing but ridicule her when they _did_ talk, but Penny was forgiving. Startlingly so.

And now, Tony wouldn't say he was her _dad_ (there was no way she thought of him that way, he'd been too mean, too condescending, too distant), but they were close, maybe a bit closer than a superhero mentor/mentee usually were, and he wasn't going to complain. He'd gotten used to having Penny over, whether it be for lab days or her stopping by his Manhattan apartment with an injury, or those few special nights where they'd sit and watch a movie. He hadn't thought the two of them would ever end up close like they were now, but she'd become a part of his family, had carved out a space for himself in his iron heart right by Pepper and Rhodey.

So, he hadn't been drunk.

He hadn't been in a fight either, he was pretty sure. Rhodey had been called away for some mission in Switzerland, and Vision had been out on another 'search' that Tony knew just really meant he was hanging with Wanda, so he'd been in New York, holding down the fort before it inevitably became his turn for a mission.

Still confused, he blinked his eyes open, once again groaning at the light, despite its dimness. He was in a room, but not one he recognized. It was a small dusty pink room, with one window bordered by white curtains and a small desk next to a wardrobe in the corner. The bed he was laying in was also unfamiliar, but the person laying next to him wasn't.

Next to him, asleep, was Penny Parker. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, panic rising in his chest. Where were they? Why was Penny here too? Was she hurt? She didn't _look_ hurt, no bruises or blood and her chest rose and fell with each breath. She was just...sleeping.

The sight of her jogged the last memory he had before waking up here. They'd been out for ice cream, not as Iron Man and Spider-Woman, but as Tony and Penny, just hanging out. She'd been laughing at something he said when his memories went blank and all he could come up with was pain, blaring at the back of his head.

"Hey, Underoos," he said, tapping at her cheek in an attempt to wake the girl in front of him, "Wake up, kid. It's kinda important."

Penny's face scrunched together with each tap at her cheek, clearly annoyed with the prodding, which was reinforced when she knocked his hand away and covered her face, mumbling, "Go 'way. I'm sleeping."

"Come on, kid. I need your help," he replied, moving her arm out of the way and tapping on her cheek again. This time her eyes cracked open, and it took her exactly two seconds to register what was happening.

The moment she realized it was him, and not her aunt like she'd probably thought, she shot up in the bed, looking around the room wildly and then back at him.

"What the--where are we, Mr. Stark?" she asked in a whisper, and then she clutched at her head, clearly in pain. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "How'd we get here?"

"I don't know, kid. Your head okay?"

"I, yeah, it's okay I guess. Just..." she trailed off as she looked about the room, her eyes wide and frightened.

"What?" he prodded.

"Y'know how I have that, like, weird danger sense?"

"The Penny Tingle, yeah."

She shot him a dirty look, which he just smiled at in response. She muttered, "You and May have _got_ to stop talking. Anyway, it's like, freaking out right now, and it's giving me a headache."

Okay, so, Penny's kinda unreliable yet weirdly accurate anxiety was freaking out at the moment, which he never took as a good sign. Usually whenever Penny had told him about her senses on the fritz it was almost immediately followed by something awful, but she'd never mentioned it giving her a headache before. Chances were, this was bad.

"Alright, kid," he started, "I'm sure we'll be alright. Either Pepper decided she needed a change of scenery or this is a _very_ nice kidnapping and we'll figure it out. Okay?"

She nodded, trust clear in her eyes, "Okay, Mr. Stark."

Tony got off of the bed to inspect the room around him, Penny following tentatively. It was relatively bare, with nothing but the furniture. No knick-knacks or belongings sat on the desk or the wardrobe or the bedside table. There was no hint that anyone actively occupied this space, until Penny called out, "Hey, Mr. Stark!"

He turned away from where he'd been peering out the window, distraught to see the lack of people of housing within view. Just a singular dirt road and a lot of trees and stars that could only mean they were somewhere remote, "Yeah, kid?"

"Maybe someone does live here," she said, and he noticed that she'd open one of the wardrobe drawers. He walked over to look in it, watching as she opened another one, "Look, shirts, and underwear--all lace. Who the hell has _all lace_ underwear?"

"What're you talking about? I'm wearing lace right now," he joked, and she snorted.

"Uhuh, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." It was Tony who snorted this time, a small smile gracing his lips. Penny was taking whatever this was remarkably well, despite her headache and the way her shoulders were tensed. He was just glad that at least she was calm.

He opened his mouth to say something else when Penny spun around, her fists held out in front of her defensively, a split second before the door opened. Immediately yellow light flooded into the dim room, illuminating a thin figure standing in the doorway. It was a woman, tall and lean with long dark blonde hair that fell all the way down to her lower back. Her face was gaunt and pale, her cheekbones sticking out unnaturally and the only color in her cheeks being the blush applied to her face. Most interesting though were her eyes, which seemed to almost glow in the unnatural lighting, making her look unhinged.

Was this--a scrawny and small woman--really their kidnapper?

"Who the hell are you?" Penny spit out before he could, and he sent her a dirty look as he stepped in front of her protectively, hoping she got the message to shut up and let him handle this.

"Manners, manners. Ladies shouldn't swear, you know," the woman tutted with an exaggerated look of disappointment, stepping into the room and flicking on the lights. Despite her small frame, Tony couldn't help but take a step back, forcing the girl behind him to shuffle back as well. This woman had a threatening aura, and he didn't know what it was, but he could tell she was dangerous, and he wasn't willing to risk Penny.

"Yeah, I already know her manners suck. But who are you?" Tony asked, putting as much patented _Tony Stark Bravado_ in his voice as he could.

"Aurora."

"Well, I'd say nice to meet you, but I don't know where we are and I'm guessing that you're the cause of it."

She smiled at him unnervingly, "We're in my house in France. The nearest town is well over fifty miles away, so I wouldn't try anything."

France. Not the worst place to be, but it was concerning nonetheless. He and Penny had been in New York, and this woman had moved them thousands of miles without being detected. She clearly knew what she was doing. On the bright side, they'd been missing long enough to garner attention from May or Pepper, so he felt they wouldn't be here for long. It was then he noticed that he didn't have any trackers on him, and nor did Penny. His watch and his phone were gone, and the clothes he were wearing weren't his, so it was a no-go there as well.

"Great, France," he responded sarcastically, "Nice scenery, great architecture. Why are we here?"

"You're my husband."

_What._

"Umm...he's engaged to Ms. Potts," Penny said, sounding just as confused as he felt. At her words, Aurora scowled, her face twisting up in anger before smoothing out into something calm yet dangerous, another smile crossing her face.

"Well, I guess he technically is, but it'd be quite hard to be engaged to a dead person." His blood ran cold at her words, his heart feeling like it'd stopped. He couldn't live--not without Pepper.

"What did you do to her?" he whispered menacingly.

"Nothing yet," Aurora responded, and he felt himself deflate in relief that only lasted a second, "But I can assure you I have tabs kept on that skank, and a faulty escape plan...well, I think you can guess the rest."

"So you're, what? Threatening my fiancee so I'll stay here and--marry you?" he practically growled, "What about the kid? Why is she here?"

"Well, she's my daughter of course," Aurora answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Penny blinked.

"Um, hate to break it to you, but my mom's dead, and her name was Mary, not Aurora. Are you sure you got the right people?" Penny said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. He gave her a look that clearly said 'Don't push it.' They didn't know what this woman was capable of and what she was willing to do, so being outright disrespectful wasn't a good idea. For her. He was going to say whatever the hell he wanted, as long as it kept the attention off of Penny.

"I'm sure," Aurora responded, her voice confident and chilling. She put a finger on her chin, thoughtful, "Let me see, how do I explain this? I grew up in a broken family, my father was out of the picture and both me and my mother were drug addicts, since I was nine actually. All I wanted growing up was a safe space of my own, one where my mother couldn't berate or hit me, but I didn't want to be alone. I just...I wanted to be loved, I wanted a family. Drugs had gotten me into a bad place, and I couldn't find a way out, but a man approached me, told me he could get me off of them if I'd test something for him. So I did. And he helped me like he'd promised, but just not in the way I thought he'd meant... I don't know how long I was in that basement, feeling like demons were clawing at my skin, but when I finally came to, everyone was gone, dead or left I don't know, didn't care. But I had powers."

He glanced between the woman and the teen behind him. Powers weren't great. He hoped the most she could do was run fast or something. A super soldier would be very detrimental to their escape plans. Aurora stepped more into the room, walking towards the two of them until she was right in front of Tony.

"So, I was free of drugs and had these powers, still alone, when I realize that I still want a family. But what's the point of a family if they aren't like you? Aren't as good as you? There were plenty of men on the Avengers, but none interested me more than you." She put a hand on his cheek, and if it weren't for the girl behind him he would've slapped it away. Her bony fingers were deathly cold against his own skin and he had to repress the urge to shudder, "There were a number of reasons, but I could feel your pain after the betrayal of your teammates. The regret and fear were so strong, that even through a screen--I could almost taste them."

"That's kinda weird," Penny broke in, and Tony closed his eyes in exasperation. Aurora just smiled though, letting go of his cheek and moving towards Penny, but he stepped in her path, making himself as big and as threatening as he could.

"Ah, the daughter. On to my next point I suppose," she said, "Well, I already knew who was going to be my husband, but I'd always longed for a child. I'd prefer a son, but as I surveyed Tony, figured the best time to take him, I realized just how close you were. I couldn't tell you how thrilled I was--husband and dad material, and the girl's enhanced too? That's hard to come by. Besides, I know you, Stark. You'd never comply unless there was collateral."

"We're here to play House then, are we?" Tony asked heatedly. This was his fault. Penny was here because of him, because they were too close, because he had let her make a spot for herself in his life.

"I guess you could say that," Aurora said, "But this isn't some game you play in kindergarten for ten minutes before you get bored. I need some time to plan the wedding, so it'll be a couple of weeks, and of course I still want that son."

"You're fucking crazy!" Penny accused, her face angry and defensive. This time she stepped in front of Tony, clearly trying to act as a shield between him and the woman in front of them who was once again scowling, "You can't do any of this! You can't just kidnap someone and expect them to love you. I don't know what you're expecting but it sure isn't--"

Penny was cut off suddenly, her voice halting as if her tongue had disappeared mid-sentence, and then she was on the floor. His heart leapt to his throat as he rushed to kneel beside her, taking in the sight of the girl in front of him. Tears were running down her cheeks and it was clear she couldn't breathe, her eyes distant and unseeing. Panic attack. A _really_ bad panic attack.

"Hey--hey, kid. You need to breathe, okay? Can you hear me?" he panicked, snapping his fingers in front of her face, dismayed to find she still couldn't see him and--were her eyes purple? Not just purple. They were glowing. He looked up at Aurora to find that the woman's eyes were the same shade as Penny's, except she was smiling instead of on the floor fighting for air, "What the fuck are you doing?!"

She tutted, "Poor sweet Penny. She has quite the mouth, doesn't she? That's something we'll have to work on. Discipline."

Penny still wasn't breathing, if anything she'd gotten worse. She'd gone from crying to full on sobbing, every tear followed by a horrible gasping that he was going to hear in his nightmares. It was as if she were being choked, but there was nothing around her neck, nothing but her own hand as if she thought patting her throat would get more air into it.

"She can't breathe!" he roared, grabbing onto the girl and sitting her up. She didn't even respond, as if she didn't realize he was there, or that she'd even known she'd moved. Her face was beginning to turn purple, "What are you doing to her!?"

"That's my power, see? I manipulate sound, and I can change emotions, only negative ones, though. Right now she's having a panic attack, all her worst nightmares rolled into one and given just the _tiniest_ of nudges."

"YOU'RE KILLING HER!!!" he screamed, the words ripping through his throat. She frowned at him, and he knew yelling wasn't going to work with her. She held all the power, he needed to play his cards right, "Please. Please, just--make it stop. Whatever you want--I'm your family, your husband!--just don't kill her."

Aurora smiled, and then the glowing in her eyes was gone. Penny's strangled gasping turned into labored breaths, and he turned his attention from their kidnapper to the girl beside him. She was leaning on him heavily, her body limp and her eyes struggling to open.

"Hey, hey. It's okay, it's alright now," he assured, but Penny didn't respond.

"I'll give you a few minutes to get settled in. Come downstairs when you're ready for some breakfast." And with that Aurora left, snapping the door shut behind her. He was going to kill her, going to hurt her and kill her slowly for--

Penny shifted beside him, making him look down from where he'd been burning a hole into the door. She looked more awake now, her eyes open and confused, "Mr. Star'? Where'd she go?"

"To go make breakfast I guess," he responded, "Hey, how ya doing? You checked out there for a moment."

Penny shuddered, and he knew that whatever Aurora had made her see must've been bad. She'd essentially given the fifteen-year-old _child_ in front of him the worst panic attack to end all panic attacks. Tony squeezed her closer to him, resting his chin on her fluffy hair that she'd cut to a pixie recently.

"You don't have to talk," he assured, "We can just sit here for a moment, we have some time before we have to go downstairs."

"Do we hav' too?"

"Yeah, we do. I'm sorry, kid, but I'll get us out of this."

"How?"

"Do you trust me?" Penny nodded, her eyes wet but earnest, "Good, then just leave it to me."

_I hope I get out before this wedding,_ he thought, _That'd be a messy divorce._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think!


	2. A Day in the Life of the Kidnapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Next installment! Comments and kudos are appreciated (pls im so bored)

Penny was embarrassed, her cheeks flushed and her heart racing, as she leaned against Mr. Stark, but her fear was stronger than her embarrassment. She didn't even want to think about what she'd just seen, what she'd felt, the grief and the fear and how she couldn't _breathe._ She'd had panic attacks before, but none like _that._ None so horrifying that she couldn't see, couldn't feel, that she'd had no idea what was really going on around her. One moment she'd been yelling at that crazy woman, and the next she'd been in Mr. Stark's lap, enveloped in a hug.

Mr. Stark wasn't a hugger, so she knew that whatever had just happened, it hadn't been great and it had really shaken him. So she allowed herself to be held, grateful for how the man didn't make her talk, just let her calm down, just remained a steady presence. But it couldn't be forever, sooner or later, they'd have to go downstairs and face Aurora again, play along with her game and figure out a way to escape. She hoped it was later.

Mr. Stark decided sooner.

"I think time's up, Underoos," he said, his hand combing through her short hair. Her heart stuttered, but she knew he was right. Mr. Stark was usually right, and besides, he was Iron Man, he'd get them out of here.

"Okay," she mumbled, forcing herself to stand up before extending a hand to Mr. Stark, allowing her to help him up. His back cracked a little as she did, and she gave him a mischievous smile.

"Not a word," he threatened.

"I wasn't going to say anything," she cheeked back. Mr. Stark shook his head in exasperation before heading to the door with confidence she would never have. He opened it as if he owned the place, as if he wasn't kidnapped and in some weird forced relationship with the woman downstairs.

Mr. Stark waved at her to follow him out the door, and he gave her a stern look. Oh no. She could feel a lecture coming on.

"I don't want any back talk from you, understand?" he started, and she gave him an equally stern look, "I mean it. She clearly doesn't mind hurting us, and we don't know how far she's willing to go. Keep your head down and let me handle this. Capiche?"

"But what if she--"

_"Capiche?"_

"Capiche," she mumbled as they found their way to the stairs and began making their way down. She could smell the food coming from the kitchen--bacon and eggs and pancakes--and her mouth watered. She didn't think any of it was poisoned, killing them would kind of defeat the purpose of being there. Drugs weren't off the table though, especially for her. Penny knew she was the biggest liability, with her strength and her abilities Aurora was probably the most worried about her lashing out.

"How is everyone feeling?" came Aurora's voice, full and smooth like honey. She looked almost friendly as she stood in front of the dinner table, perfectly set and with plates of food stacked in the middle, buffet style. Penny saw Mr. Stark tense beside her, clearly biting his tongue to keep back a retort, which was new. She didn't know if there'd ever been a time when Mr. Stark didn't say exactly what he was thinking. She guessed she was going to have to try and keep her own insults in as well if he wasn't going to say anything.

"Fine," he answered stiffly, and Aurora's smile widened as she pulled out a chair at the head of the table, gesturing for Mr. Stark to sit in it. She watched as her mentor sat down in the chair, keeping her in his sights the whole time. Once he'd sat down, Aurora moved over to the chair to the left of Mr. Stark, pointing at it while looking at Penny.

"You sit here, darling," Aurora said sweetly, and Penny forced herself to move closer to the woman, grateful that it at least meant she was closer to Mr. Stark. Once Penny had sat down, Aurora grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl in the center of the round table, placing it in front of the teenager gently and then went to go sit in her own seat next to her, "Alright, breakfast is served."

Mr. Stark gave Penny a look, clearly unsure if the food was safe or not. She gave him a slight nod, and he relaxed. Her spidey sense had proved useful at detecting poison, and while it _was_ going off, she knew it wasn't because of the food in front of her and rather the woman next to her. Aurora made no move when Mr. Stark began grabbing pancakes off of the stack, but when Penny reached her own hand out it was to only have it slapped away.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, pulling her hand back and glaring at the woman, who was giving her a hard stare.

"Why'd you hit her!?" Mr. Stark demanded, furious, which was dumb of him. They were supposed to be laying low! And it didn't even hurt that bad, she'd had way worse.

"She already has her breakfast," Aurora answered, and both she and Mr. Stark turned to look at the orange sitting in front of her, and immediately his eyes flashed in anger.

"That's _not_ breakfast!" he argued, "She has a fast metabolism, she needs to eat more than _one orange."_

"Good, then she'll lose weight faster."

_"Excuse me!?"_

That was Mr. Stark. Penny didn't say anything, stunned. Aurora's gaunt appearance made sense all of the sudden--she was starving herself to be thinner, and now she was doing the same to her. But this was different than regular people, or how she'd been before, still awful, but different for her. Penny was always hungry, no matter what, her body just needed _more._ Much more than what was sitting in front of her.

Aurora scoffed, getting up from her seat to stand behind Penny. She glanced at Mr. Stark, hoping for some reassurance, but his eyes were locked on the woman stepping behind her, placing her bony hands on her shoulders and squeezing.

"I mean just look at her," she said, grabbing at her chin and lifting it up slightly. It took all of Penny's willpower not to whip her head out of Aurora's clutches, "Fat under the chin, she's got _quite_ the baby face, and her stomach is _much_ too round--what man is ever going to want to marry her? She can't even make up for it with her chest--we'll figure something else out for you there, baby."

Penny's face flushed red in embarrassment as the woman made comment after comment on her body, refusing to look anywhere but straight ahead. She knew that whatever this woman said didn't matter--that being thin was a stupid standard of beauty anyway, but it still hurt. Besides, she _was_ thin, but thin didn't mean _no fat_ or that she didn't have fucking _organs_ and a functioning body. The worst part was that she'd said it all while pointing it out to _Mr. Stark._

She knew that Mr. Stark didn't care what she looked like, or whatever stupid comments Aurora made had no impact on him. She also knew that even _if_ he cared about her appearance, it didn't matter, but it was still embarrassing. It'd be embarrassing no matter who she'd said it to, but it was weird that she'd said it to a man decades older than her. A man that she considered a father figure.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mr. Stark snapped at the woman still standing behind her chair, "She's a _teenager._ Not your doll to change as you please. She needs to eat and if you don't--"

"Mr. Stark," she interrupted quietly. Her headache was growing stronger and she could feel Aurora behind her getting angrier and angrier. She didn't want to have that panic attack again, even the thought of it made her blood run cold, and what if she gave Mr. Stark one this time? He had a heart condition! She could deal with her orange--at least it was something, "It's okay. I like oranges anyway."

"Kid--"

"You should listen to our daughter, honey," Aurora broke in, and she could practically feel her smirk, "She said what she wanted."

"Because you forced her."

"Or maybe _you're_ forcing her," she countered, and she finally began moving back to her seat, but not without sending a whack to Penny's head that she had to force herself not to dodge. She could take all the little hits, the ones that only left little stings and bruises that would heal before the day was over, as long as they weren't at Mr. Stark, but she could tell he wouldn't agree with her.

"Stop. Hitting. Her," he ground out, his teeth gritted and his face alight with fury.

"She's calling you the wrong name."

"But...his name's Tony Stark," Penny said in confusion, glancing at Mr. Stark, who looked less confused and more resigned, "So, y'know, Mr. Stark."

"Nuhuh, you're my daughter, so you call me Mom. You're also _his_ daughter, so you call him...?"

Oh no.

"I'm not calling Mr. Stark 'Dad.'" She felt awkward even saying that she wouldn't, the word unfamiliar. The truth was that he _was_ like her dad. He did what Uncle Ben had done--looked after her, kept her company, made sure she was healthy--but he wasn't not really. There was no way he saw her like that, even if she did him. Sure, they'd gotten closer over the five months since she'd crashed his plane, but dad was a stretch for a man that had ignored her for two months.

Aurora smiled dangerously at her, her eyes beginning to glow a faint purple that made her tense, "You will unless you want to be grounded. And I promise, it'll be different than what you're used to."

Mr. Stark grabbed her hand under the table, squeezing and providing as much support as he could non-verbally. He clearly just wanted her to do what she said, to not be embarrassed about it, because it was either call him Dad or get tortured. Neither of which sounded like her most favorite option, but she guessed calling him Dad was the less worse one. Only by a bit. Embarrassment was its own torture.

"So, what's your choice?"

"Fine," she mumbled.

"Try rephrasing that less _disrespectfully."_

"Yes...Mom."

"See? Now we're getting somewhere!" Aurora encouraged, but it was clear her torture wasn't over, "Now call him 'Dad.'"

She didn't know particularly what Aurora wanted her to say, so she just turned to Mr. Stark and said, "You're a nerd, Dad."

He smiled softly, rolling his eyes at her, but the tension in the room was palpable. She'd hoped that a joke would make it a _little_ less awkward but nope. Not really. Still, she appreciated Mr. Stark's calmness.

"You too, Underoos."

* * *

Breakfast was a tense affair to say the least. It was honestly worse than Thanksgivings with his parents, which was saying something.

Tony had to force himself to eat, every bite feeling like betrayal to the girl next to him who was eating her one orange slowly and thoughtfully as though it would give her more that way. He wanted to push his plate away and tell the bitch across from him to stuff it--that if Penny didn't get to eat, then he didn't either--but there would be no way to convince Aurora. She was dangerous and dead set in her ways. Each smack and blow she'd given to Penny for the smallest of things reinforced that.

She slouched, a hit. She chewed too loudly, a hit. She didn't cross her legs, a hit. Her elbows were on the table, a hit.

He wished Aurora would just hit him instead. He was used to it, both from his own father as a child and from his time as a superhero, besides, he deserved whatever was coming for him. He'd hurt people, he'd done bad things, Penny hadn't. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of the hits she'd taken, any of the comments made about her body, or having to call him Dad.

The last one admittedly wasn't as bad as their situation could get, but could tell that it made Penny uncomfortable. Her voice had shook when she'd first called him it, despite her words and her tone being sarcastic and confident. He'd played along and pretended like he hadn't noticed--no need to humiliate her further, but he knew they'd have to have a _long_ conversation after all of this. Probably one about listening to him better and one where they'd talk about their _feelings._ Maybe. He'd avoid it if he could.

Which led him to his next point--how the hell were they getting out of here? Preferably they'd leave sooner rather than later, both to keep Penny from being hurt any more and the fact that she was the strongest one out of the two of them. If the lack of food went on for longer than a few days, they were royally screwed. What he needed to do was to send out an emergency signal--but Rhodey wasn't nearby, and he doubted Vision was either. He didn't know how Aurora had taken them, or what evidence she'd left, so he had no way of knowing if they had any leads.

It really only left one option.

If it had just been him, he would've been fine with hunkering down and waiting to be found--even if he hated being rescued--but he couldn't do that. Penny was here too, because of him, and she was being actively starved and used as Aurora's punching bag. Waiting wasn't much of an option for her, and escaping would only result in her being in more harm. Pepper too.

Tony almost sighed thinking about his fiancee, but managed to hold it in. He was ready to get out of here. Ready for a warm hug from the woman he loved, for a soft, warm hand on his cheek instead the cold, bony one that had grabbed his face too hard less than an hour ago. There was something in Aurora's eyes, a hunger he didn't like, when she looked at him that had him more ready to leave a place than he ever had before. And the way she looked at Penny, like she was more of an object--a plaything--than a kid...he needed to get her out of here.

So, with no way of knowing of where Rhodey and Vision were, or what leads on their kidnapping were like, he had one choice left.

Steve.

"Are you done eating, sweetie?" Tony looked up at Aurora's voice, narrowing his eyes at her, forcing down throw up at her pet names. He didn't even want this woman to call him Tony, much less 'sweetie.'

"Yes," he grit out.

"Yes what?"

"Yes, _dear."_

He assumed that that was what Aurora had wanted--to be included in on the pet names, but he still hated it. Still, if Penny had to call this monster Mom, he could deal with 'dear.'

"Penny, why don't you go ahead and clear your father's plate?"

"I can get my own plate," he protested, starting to get up but freezing when he saw Aurora's eyes begin to glow purple once again. He glanced over at Penny, horrified to find that she was frozen in place, her own eyes purple and wide. He immediately sat down, rushing back into his seat before she could do anything to hurt his kid. Her hold on Penny disappeared and she slumped back into her seat, blinking frantically, her panicked gaze resting on him, clearly looking for reassurance that he couldn't give.

"I know it's our first day, dear, but we really _must_ go over some ground rules," Aurora started, once again slapping Penny to attention. His blood boiled at the girl's flinch. He couldn't wait until they could hit back, "First of all, Tony, you're the man of the house. Dishes and cleaning are _not_ your job, normally you'd be the breadwinner, but considering circumstances, you'll have to stay in the house for a while. Dishes and cleaning and cooking are me and Penny's job--after all, she needs to learn how to be a good wife."

"Y'know, you keep saying stuff about me getting married, but I don't know how you plan on that if I'm here all the time," Penny snarked, and Tony had to physically keep himself from pinching the bridge of his nose, instead giving Penny the sternest glare he could manage, not that it did anything. She was turned away from him pointedly and looking at Aurora instead, who had a threatening smile plastered on her ghostly face.

"I have a friend--he deals mostly in moving weaponry across borders at the moment--he has a son who's looking for a wife. Twenty-six, I think. I was thinking about waiting a year before starting to marry you off, but keep that mouth of yours up and it'll be a week."

Penny paled at that, her jaw audibly clicking shut, and god he was _angry._ He was beyond pissed at this woman, and he doubted she'd live for another couple of weeks. Or at the very least see anything else than a prison cell for the rest of her life. He just wished he could assure Penny that it would be alright, that he wouldn't let her be taken away, but he couldn't do anything, not without risking the girl getting hurt more.

"Now, I believe you have some dishes to do and a kitchen to clean."

The teen got up hesitantly, still looking at Aurora in some mix of fear and resistance, but eventually turning away and beginning to collect his dishes. He tried to catch her gaze, but she pointedly ignored him, and guilt gnawed at his chest. She was humiliated and scared and he wished he could just do _something. Anything._ But Aurora was watching them closely, and he knew the best thing to do for Penny would be to lay low, ride under suspicion, and send out an emergency signal to the Rogues.

His eyes followed Penny as she walked to the rather expensive looking kitchen and began to do dishes. Now that he thought about it, this was a _nice_ house, even for his standards. Whatever Aurora did to make money--and considering what she'd said about her _friend,_ he had an idea--it obviously paid well. It made him wonder how long she'd been planning this, if she'd already had this house or if she'd bought it for the three of them specifically.

"Why don't you go sit down on the couch, sweetie?" Aurora said, getting up from her own chair and beginning to grab the uneaten food in the middle of the table. It made him sick, Penny could've eaten that instead of being starved, "We can play some games once the kitchen is clean."

"Of course, dear."

* * *

The day passed by as well as it could, considering everything. Her stomach hurt beyond belief, the feeling of her insides clawing at themselves not able to be satiated from the glass of juice she'd been given at lunch or the small bowl of chopped carrots at dinner. She had eyed Mr. Stark's food at each meal enviously, but looked away the moment he'd glanced at her. It wasn't his fault, and she didn't want him feeling more guilty about it than he probably already did, even if she was so, _so_ hungry.

She'd cleaned the kitchen each time without complaint, not that she was a stranger to cleaning. She helped May clean all the time, or did it herself when she was overwhelmed with work, but that was so much different than this. This wasn't family helping family keep the household orderly, this was someone singling her out to clean because of her gender, which was bullshit. The cleaning hadn't been that bad to be honest--it was mostly just dishes and wiping down the counters. What had been unbearable was watching Aurora always throw away any leftover food before she had a chance to get any.

Penny couldn't deny that it hurt, watching Mr. Stark eat while she didn't. Watching that food go to waste rather than have a kid not live up to unrealistic beauty standards. Not that she'd ever say anything. She didn't want to hurt Mr. Stark's feelings, and she was getting pretty sick of getting slapped.

At least afterwards she'd gotten to sit next to Mr. Stark, Aurora insistent they play board and card games together like a 'proper family' or some other bullshit. It hadn't really been fun...but it hadn't been the worst thing either. This was her first kidnapping, and while things weren't ideal, she guessed it could be _a lot_ worse.

The day had passed by slowly, seconds inching by, making her feel like she was at school--which she had made sure to mention to Mr. Stark, who'd responded with a wry smile and a roll of his eyes--but now the day was finally over. Aurora had led her over to a bathroom, letting her know that a towel was in there for her and that clothes were waiting for her in her room, which was apparently the room she and Mr. Stark had woken up in. Which meant she'd be wearing _only_ lace underwear for however long they were here.

She hated this place.

Now she was laying on her bed in her room, not quite sure what to do. She usually scrolled on her phone before bed, as long as she hadn't been out as Spider-Woman (she usually just fell asleep immediately if she had), but now there was nothing to do. There wasn't even a _book,_ just empty walls and a dark room. So, instead she listened.

She could hear a shower running, and assumed either Mr. Stark or Aurora was in it, but she guessed Aurora. There were footsteps just outside the shower, probably in the Master Bedroom, that paced back and forth in a never ending cycle. Her best guess was that Aurora was taking a shower and had locked Mr. Stark in the room they were sharing so that they couldn't do anything.

Penny couldn't imagine what it would be like to go back and no longer have superpowers. Mr. Stark must be freaking out right now, not able to keep track of her like she could of him. She almost smiled, since it was usually flipped most of the time, but it disappeared the moment it flickered across her lips. Happiness seemed to die in this place, and she just wished she was back at home with May, who was no doubt freaking out beyond relief at this point.

She'd give her aunt the biggest hug when she got home, give her _actual_ family a kiss and curl up watching movies with her, where she wouldn't be slapped or criticized like she had been today. Where she wouldn't be forced to call people names she didn't want to call them. Mom was weird, Dad was _humiliating._ She was going to die of embarrassment when she finally got out of here and had to face Mr. Stark no longer in a life threatening setting.

It was another fifteen minutes before the footsteps from the Master Bedroom began heading her way instead. She sat up in anticipation, tensing when she saw Aurora enter the room first before relaxing a fraction of a second later when she caught sight of Mr. Stark. They were dressed in matching pajamas, some nice silk ones she knew Mr. Stark would've never picked out since she'd only ever seen him wear ratty old shirts to bed.

Her mentor's eyes shown with relief when he caught sight of her, his whole body unwinding like someone had flicked a switch, clearly glad to see her unharmed. For the most part anyway. She felt the same way about him, even though she'd been listening to him the whole time.

Aurora sat on Penny's bed, reaching out and stroking through her hair, though disdain was clear in her gaze as she did. Penny guessed that with all the traditional gender roles set up in this house, the short hair wasn't her favorite. Still, she rested a hand on her cheek, gave her a smile, and then pressed a kiss to her cheek. She had to physically force herself not to flinch or move away.

"Goodnight, Penelope. We'll see you in the morning," the woman said tenderly, getting up. Mr. Stark immediately took her place and she found herself relaxing as he leaned in to give her a hug, which was still weird for him, but less weird when he began whispering into her ear. Thanks to her super hearing, he could talk as softly as he wanted, and Aurora couldn't hear.

"Don't worry, I've got a plan. Stay strong, we'll be out soon." He pulled away, gave her a pat on the soldier and got up reluctantly, "Night, kiddo."

"What do you say, Penny?" Aurora taunted.

"Night, Dad. Night, Mom."

She got a frightening smile in return.


	3. A Kid of One's Own

Not sleeping was a constant in Tony's life, whether it be from too many assignments in college, long nights working for the company or on his own projects, or when nightmares and stress made closing his eyes feel dangerous. Now though, it was thanks to the figure laying next to him in bed. No, next to him wasn't the right word, cradled against him was better.

He'd tried at first to lay down at the edge, as far away as he could possibly get, but then a feeling had crossed over him, strange and distant and _horrible_. He'd felt cold, like he'd been doused with icy water, and nothing had made sense except to _move. Move closer._ When he'd returned to his senses, it had been to find Aurora tucked against his chest and it had taken every ounce of his willpower not to move away. Not to yell and rush back to Penny's room so he could check up on her again, so they could leave.

But he hadn't moved, because he knew moving and defying this deranged woman would only result in more pain for him and more pain for Penny. That didn't mean he liked any of this though, or was even remotely comfortable. Every breath felt pained and measured, every little movement matched with a shot of fear--not knowing what would set the woman off. All he could do was lay ramrod straight, let the hours pass by at a snail's pace, and wait for the sun to rise, letting out a small sigh of relief when he could see the sky outside begin to turn pink.

Aurora began to stir about an hour later, blinking awake and smiling at him sweetly, apparently blind to his stiffness, or how he didn't respond with a smile of his own. Still, she pushed herself up--letting Tony finally be free from her hold--and placed a kiss on his cheek. He stiffened at the touch, his eyes hardening and his face twitching with disdain, but he didn't move or fight back. Shame flooded him as he thought about Pepper, how things were finally looking up for them, how much she'd been through with him, _because_ of him, only for this woman to hold and kiss him the same way she did (but not really the same way. Where was the love? The familiarity? The warmth?). But then he thought about the girl probably still in bed a room over, scared and alone and already in pain, and he knew that compliance was the only option for now.

"Good morning, honey," she greeted, resting her head against his chest, her long hair tickling at his neck.

"Morning...sweetie," he replied back, the words bitter on his tongue. Aurora hummed in content though, clearly thrilled with how well he and Penny had been complying so far. She continued to lay against him like that for another few minutes before _finally_ getting up, stretching and yawning with a pleased smile.

"I'm going to grab Penny and make breakfast, and then I have a surprise to show you," she started, and he almost jumped at the girl's name, his stomach churning at what this 'surprise' could be. Aurora tutted looking at him, a look of exaggerated concern plastered on her face, "Gosh, you look positively _beat._ Why don't you stay in bed and get some more shut eye? I'll come and grab you for breakfast when it's finished."

It sounded nice, being able to sleep in the bed without her in it, but he couldn't leave Penny alone with this monster. He knew he couldn't really stop her from being hit, but at least he could be there, be a comforting presence or something. So instead, he shot up in bed, throwing his legs over the side in a rush, "Nope. I'm coming downstairs too--wouldn't want to miss the surprise."

"That's a nice gesture, dear," Aurora said, putting a hand on his chest and gently pushing him back down onto the bed, "But really, get some sleep--there's nothing for you to do in the kitchen anyway. It's not a man's place."

"But--"

He got up once more only to be pushed back down again, this time the smile leaving her face and her brows arching, her words clear. ‘ _Disobey me again and see what happens.’_ He swallowed and laid back down in the bed, watching her uneasily as her smile returned.

"Get some rest, sweetie," she threw over her shoulder as she walked out the door. A _click!_ let him know that she'd once again locked the door, effectively keeping him confined to the beige room. He wished suddenly that he had Penny's super hearing so that he'd at least know what was going on. As it was, he pressed his ear to the door, disappointed when he still couldn't hear anything.

Blowing out an exasperated breath, he got up from where he'd been kneeling at the door to pace around the room instead. It was the same as it had been yesterday when he'd waited for Aurora to get out of the shower. The window still reinforced, the walls still boring, and the lamps still the same. He didn't know what type of surveillance was in the room, if any, but he didn't see any cameras. He got the feeling that Aurora was confident not only in her own powers, but his willingness to stay subdued to keep Penny safe.

Still, he searched around the room--which was much better decorated and actually filled with things, unlike Penny's--looking under lampshades and behind curtains and just about everywhere he could think of where some type of recording device may be placed. He came away empty, which was just fine with him. Tony didn't like being away from Penny, but now was a prime time to begin building his device to contact Steve.

Steve wasn't normally the contact he'd go for, but without knowing the range of his teammates--and knowing that the Rogues were at the border between France and Spain--they'd be the easiest to be made aware of what was going on. Despite his insistence to Ross that he had no idea where Captain Asshole and his band of wanted misfits were, he actually kept pretty good track of them. It wasn't something he obsessed over, but rather had Friday keep him aware of. He hated Steve, but if keeping track of him would keep the man from possibly dying, then keeping track of him was what he had been doing.

And now it was going to help Tony out.

"Alright, what pitiful excuses for parts can I find here?"

* * *

Penny didn't really wake up, it was more like she blinked to awareness. She'd been too tense, her heart racing too fast, her stomach hurting too much and her senses too on edge to even think about sleeping. So she'd laid in her bed, staring at the door and listening to the sound of Mr. Stark's heartbeat. It was easy to distinguish, the thumping weaker than the standard heart, and off beat, like it was trying really hard to put in the extra effort of being functional.

The sound of her mentor's off rhythm heart was strangely comforting, like some kind of weird lullaby, but she didn't manage to fall asleep to it. She'd closed her eyes a couple of times, sure, but she'd always jerked back awake with fear, searching out for Mr. Stark's heartbeat and relieved to find it unchanged. It didn't even slow down throughout the night, just remained its same, steady pace--so she guessed he hadn't gotten much sleep either.

By the time the sun had risen over the forest of trees outside, bathing the dusty pink room in a gentle light, Aurora had finally come to get her. The increase of her headache first alerted her to the woman approaching, forcing her to tune into the footsteps coming from outside her door. She shot up just as the door opened, revealing the thin woman, smiling at her sickeningly.

"Up, up, up!" she called in a sing-song voice, moving farther into the room. Penny got off the bed hesitantly, watching the woman warily as she began shifting through the drawers, pulling out a frilly dress with a pink flower print. It reminded her of something a doll would wear, and it just wasn't her style. She liked dresses, and she liked pink, but _that_ dress was...yikes.

"Um...am I wearing _that?"_

Aurora gave her a look, "I let you get away with those horrible clothes yesterday, but there will be none of that dressing like a boy from now on. We'll be growing your hair out, now put this on so I can put some makeup on you."

"Those things are gender neutral anyway," she muttered, and Aurora looked up sharply.

"What was that?"

She cleared her throat, "Uh, I said 'Yes, ma'am.'"

"Good, now put it on. Your father didn't sleep well last night and we need to make him breakfast--preferably _before_ the day is over."

Her stomach growled at the mention of breakfast. Maybe she'd _actually_ get to eat today.

Reluctantly, Penny pulled the dress on once Aurora had left the room, following her out to the bathroom after she'd dressed and letting her apply the makeup. She hated it. Not the makeup--she liked it every once in a while--it could be fun and she liked the artisticness of it, but this was different. This wasn't her having fun, this was her flaws and imperfections being pointed out and then covered up deliberately. This was _humiliating._

Still, it didn't last too long, and then she was being led downstairs and into the kitchen. This morning they were making waffles apparently, and Aurora set her to making the batter. It wasn't too hard, after all, all she had to do was follow the instructions (which begged the question--why did May suck _that much_ at cooking?). The harder part was having to look happy while doing it. Apparently she had to keep up a cheery attitude the entire time or she'd get a slap, which was made painfully aware from the stinging on her face.

Penny did as best as she could in the kitchen, keeping an eye on things so they wouldn't burn and trying to keep food from splattering on her dress--which Aurora had threatened with grounding if it happened. She didn't know what grounding meant exactly to this woman, but she doubted she'd like it, but it was pretty hard. She barely had any experience cooking, and she was so hungry she could barely see straight. The world was swimming around her and her stomach churned painfully.

Sneaking food was a no-go though, Aurora kept an eye on her the whole time, always making sure that she was never pocketing food (not that her stupid dress had any pockets) or eating while she cooked. It was infuriating, and she almost considered just grabbing something and stuffing it in her mouth before the woman could do anything--but that was a risk, and Mr. Stark had told her not to take risks. That risk could lead her back to that panic attack she'd had yesterday, scared and on the floor and just wishing that everything would _end,_ or even worse, it might hurt Mr. Stark, and she couldn't let that happen.

It had been an hour of cooking and taking slaps when the table was finally set with steaming waffles of all types--cake batter, normal, blueberries, chocolate chip--and she burned with jealousy at the knowledge that it was for Mr. Stark and Mr. Stark only. Shame immediately followed her fit of jealousy. It wasn't Mr. Stark's fault, and it wasn't like she wanted _him_ to not eat anything, she just wished she could eat something too.

"Well, it's passable, Penny," Aurora commented, looking over the table dismissively. She felt a flash of annoyance. Like-- _fuck off._ She spent an hour working on that and she didn't even get to eat any of it! She had to physically bite her tongue to stop herself from saying anything to Aurora, remembering Mr. Stark's words of caution, "Come on now, let's go get your father."

Penny trailed after her kidnapper reluctantly, following her up the stairs and to the Master Bedroom. She could hear Mr. Stark shuffling around in there, clearly up to something, and her blood turned cold. Mr. Stark was doing something, something for their escape, and he was probably about to be found out. Glancing around frantically, she spotted an expensive looking vase sat on a small table by the wall--that could be a good distraction.

They were only feet from the door, feet from being discovered, when she purposefully knocked into it. It immediately toppled over, Aurora turning around mere moments before it landed on the floor with a loud _CRASH!_ and splintering into a thousand pieces. For extra measure, Penny swore. Loudly.

"SHIT!" she exclaimed at the pieces that had used to be a vase at her feet. There was no _way_ Mr. Stark couldn't have heard that.

Aurora was infuriated, her eyes flashing and her face twisted in a scowl as she grabbed the girl's arm harshly.

"Why you--THAT WAS MY FAVORITE VASE!!" she screeched, her nails digging into her arm hard enough to draw beads of blood.

"Sorry, sorry--" she gasped out, suddenly afraid. Her senses were going off like crazy, pounding at the back of her skull and running up her spine as if she couldn't already pinpoint the danger, "I didn't--I didn't mean to--"

"--You're already toeing a thin line as it is," Aurora whispered in her ear threateningly, "I want a _son,_ and there are other ways to keep Tony in line than you, so if you think for one second that I won't--"

"Hey! What the hell is going on out there!?" Mr. Stark's voice interrupted. It was muffled from behind the door, but not any less angry, and she let out a sigh of relief, biting back tears at the hand still gripping her arm too hard. She didn't want to go--didn't want to leave Mr. Stark behind and be taken somewhere else. Anywhere without Mr. Stark was much worse than her situation now.

With one last disgusted look at Penny, Aurora let go of her arm and opened the door for Mr. Stark. He took in the situation with worried eyes, his face filled with confusion (probably at her stupid dress) and then rage (probably when he saw the blood). He opened his mouth to say something when Aurora butted in.

"Oh, Tony, you won't believe it," Aurora crooned, grabbing onto his arm, a lot more gently she noted, and pulling him forward to look at the ruined vase, "She _ruined_ my favorite vase--look at it! It was one of a kind, irreplaceable!"

"It was an accident!" she protested, even though it wasn't. Mr. Stark gave her a silencing look, his eyes saying _'Shut_ up _and let me handle this.'_

"Well, she said it was an accident. Accidents happen, that's just what it's like with kids," Mr. Stark reasoned, but Aurora didn't soften at his words, only becoming more enraged, and honestly, she didn't understand what the woman had expected to happen. Did she expect Mr. Stark to side with _her_ \--their kidnapper--instead of Penny!? How far was she into this deranged family daydream?

"Not good enough," Aurora practically snarled, letting go of Mr. Stark and lunging at her instead. The woman grabbed at her arm again, and this time Penny couldn't stop herself from crying out at the nails digging into her skin. Mr. Stark exclaimed in protest, stepping forward, but Penny gave him a glance over Aurora's shoulder, shaking her head.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"No breakfast for you," the woman cut across her, and she felt her stomach drop. She was so, _so_ hungry, and she'd been counting on whatever little thing she'd get this morning. It had been on her mind all last night and all morning--what she'd get to eat--and now, apparently, it was nothing, "Keep this up and you won't get anything for lunch either. Now, clean this mess up--I want it _spotless."_

Aurora trudged down the stairs angrily, each step sending a tremor down her spine, but it didn't stop her from sticking her tongue out at the woman behind her back--as well as _maybe_ making an obscene gesture. Mr. Stark didn't leave though, not even his gaze strayed from where she was still standing beside the broken vase.

_"Kid,_ do not do that _ever_ again," Mr. Stark started, rushing over to her. He grabbed her arm, but his touch was gentle and caring, not rough and harmful, and she allowed him to fret over her. He wiped away the blood flowing freely down her arm as best he could, not looking at her and instead zeroing in on her injury in that hyper-focused way he got sometimes.

"She was going to find out," she mumbled back, and Mr. Stark looked up at her sharply, confused, "I could hear you doing something in there, I assumed it had to do with how we're getting out of here. You needed a distraction."

He hung his head as she explained, a sigh of exasperation escaping him, but when he looked back up at her, all she could see was worry in his eyes, "That's...you did good, kid. It was quick thinking, but don't put yourself in another situation like that for me again. She doesn't want to hurt me as much as she does you. Besides, it's _my_ job to protect _you,_ not the other way around."

"You know you're not like, _actually_ my dad, right?"

"Yeah, well, someone's gotta look after your self-sacrificial ass," he responded, then he hesitated, "Have you eaten at all?"

After a moment, she shook her head.

"Okay, stay out of trouble so you can get some lunch, but I'll try to grab you somethi--"

"Tony!!" Aurora called from downstairs, "Come eat your breakfast and leave Penny to clean. I still have to show you your surprise!"

"Stay. Out. Of trouble," he emphasized, grabbing something from his pocket and pressing it into her hands, before turning to head downstairs reluctantly, throwing a smile and a wink at her from over his shoulder.

Penny glanced down at what Mr. Stark had given her, not at all surprised to see the beginnings of a device. It was clunky, and looked like a radio transmitter, though a little different. Even though none of it was _actually_ put together right, she was sure another day or two of collecting things would make it work. And then they could finally leave.

After carefully placing the device between her mattress and her bed frame, she set out to clean up that stupid motherfucking vase.

* * *

Eating was becoming harder and harder by the second, and Tony had to physically choke down his waffles, not even tasting them. All he could think about was Penny, upstairs bleeding because she had protected him. Upstairs starving because she had put herself in danger for him. Upstairs alone because he was failing to protect her. He kept glancing at the stairs behind Aurora's head, anxious to catch sight of her, but he only managed to catch a glimpse of her pink dress once.

By the time he'd managed to eat almost two waffles, Penny had finally come downstairs. Her cuts had already scabbed over, but they'd usually be completely gone by now, and another wave of guilt washed over him. Her healing was already slowing down, no doubt in thanks to the lack of nutrients. The girl stood awkwardly by the table, clearly unsure if she should sit down or not. It was a valid concern, considering she was currently banned from eating, and the look Aurora gave her was still furious.

"What are you just standing there for? Clean up your father's plate and start on the kitchen," Aurora snapped, and Penny startled to attention. She gave the woman a nasty look, but still grabbed his plate, and he just wished he could help her. Help her instead of sitting down and being useless and having to watch her do everything. At least he'd managed to leave a bite or two of waffle left on his plate, which he could see the girl eyeing as she came closer.

"Thanks, Penny," he said as she took his plate, trying to look reassuring. She smiled back, and seemed to get his message of _'You're doing great, just a little longer.'_

"What do you say, Penny?" Aurora taunted.

Penny grit her teeth, her cheeks flushing as she refused to look at him, "You're welcome, Dad."

Aurora got up too, picking up the mountain of waffles he hadn't eaten--there were like thirty, did she really expect him to eat all of that, or was it just to hurt Penny more--and throwing them down the garbage. He winced as she did. How wasteful and hateful did you have to be to have all that food and deny someone hungry something to eat?

The kitchen was cleaned up quickly and without much fuss while Tony sat on the couch, fiddling with his fingers and forcing down anxiety about whatever this 'surprise' was that Aurora had planned. The news was on, the words all in French, and he'd never been so glad he'd been forced to learn the language.

His disappearance had finally hit the media it seemed, a picture of him appearing on screen as the news anchor explained the situation. There was no mention of Penny, which he was glad of, just that the UN was looking for him and that Pepper had been put in a safe house following his disappearance. No clues or information were added of how he disappeared though--just that he was gone and to call the authorities if anyone saw him.

_"They're never going to find you, y'know?"_ Aurora said in French from behind him. He turned to look at her critically, his gaze challenging.

_"Yeah, what makes you so sure?"_ he responded in the same language.

_"I've taken precautions,"_ the woman said, _"Plenty of security in the surrounding area, for one. This house isn't even on Google Maps--nobody knows it exists, or that I exist."_

_"I've dealt with hard to reach places before,"_ he challenged.

She hummed, seemingly indifferent to his threatening tone, "How did that work out for the last person you were stuck with?"

His heart skipped a beat, and he glanced to look at Penny, who was watching him with wide eyes, clearly not following the conversation, but understanding its seriousness. It was no secret what had happened to Yinsen, how he'd lived and died in that cave for the last few years of his life. Tony had started a Foundation in his honor--to provide medical care and advances in war zones, not for armies, but for civilians. Despite how difficult it had been for him to accept his friend's sacrifice, he'd wanted Yinsen to be known for the compassionate and intelligent person he was, not for his memory to die on a bag of rice.

Aurora didn't want Penny, not really--that much was obvious. She treated the girl with disdain and cruelty that she didn't display to Tony in the slightest. She was a bargaining chip, a way to keep him restrained without actually having to, because with Penny it almost looked like he was there of his own volition. He knew--and she knew it too--that without Penny here, he wouldn't let her touch him, much less sleep in the same bed as her. He'd fight tooth and nail if the teenager wasn't here, because there'd be nobody else but him to get hurt.

She took his silence with a twisted smile, moving away from the couch and beckoning to him and Penny, "Come. It's time for your surprise."

He got up hesitantly, trudging after the woman until he was in step with Penny. She looked at him questioningly, but he just shrugged. If it was about the surprise, he didn't know, it was a surprise for a reason. If it was about the conversation, he couldn't explain it at the moment. And there was no need to worry her more by telling them just how fucked their situation was.

As they walked back up the stairs, he noticed Penny's hand straying to his, but not daring to touch him. It was something he'd noticed with her--she was a physical person. Touches were a big part of how she connected with people, or felt safe. He'd seen it with May, with that friend of hers (Ted, he thinks), and he'd seen it firsthand. When she was excited, or nervous, or calming down from a panic attack, she always reached out for contact.

Making a big show of rolling his eyes, he wrapped a shoulder around her, giving her a pat and leaving his arm draped on her. He felt her tense and then relax at his touch, leaning into him a little and mumbling out a quiet, "Thanks."

Once upstairs they went down the hallway, passing the Master Bedroom and Penny's room until they stopped at one at the end of the hall. Aurora turned to smile at him before opening it. He took a step back in shock.

The room was a startling blue, with stars and cartoony birds painted on the wall. Childish chests of toys and supplies sat on the floor, next to a blue rug that had more images, this time of dinosaurs smiling happily. What made him freeze was the crib sat up in the corner, a baby mobile hanging above it, twirling gently.

"Isn't it perfect?" Aurora breathed, stepping farther into the nursery, "A place to raise our own kid. A boy of course this time."

Tony squeezed Penny tighter to his side, his heart racing erratically. He didn't want to be here in this nightmare of a place, with a woman he didn't want to do anything with. His breaths were becoming shorter and faster, and only the girl tucked into his side kept him from a full blown panic attack.

"Tony? What do you think?"

He shouldn't have said it--it was foolish and challenging and the perfect excuse that Aurora had been looking for--but he never had been able to keep his trap shut, even when other people were in danger.

"I already have my own kid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think :)


	4. SOS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you like it >:-)

Penny was crying, that much she was sure of. She could feel tears dripping down her chin, and she thought her ears might be bleeding, if the wetness on her neck was anything to go by. But she couldn't see, and she could barely move. She knew she only had precious minutes before the screaming started up again, and she was trying to do her best to recover before it happened.

After they'd been shown the nursery, which would've been nice in any other scenario but was really just super fucking creepy, Aurora had seethed with anger at Mr. Stark's comment. She didn't regret him saying it though--his words a mantra in her head, helping her focus on something other than the pain.

_I already have my own kid. I already have my own kid. I already have my own kid._

_My own kid._

Mr. Stark saw her as his kid, as his family. He'd held her hand while they'd trudged up the stairs and to the nursery, put an arm around her shoulder, because he'd seen that she was scared. She wished he was here to hold her hand now, but she was glad he didn't have to deal with the pain.

As if her thoughts had summoned it--the noise started up again. It was a scream, she was pretty sure, but it was warped and unnatural, unlike anything she'd ever heard before today. And it was _painful._ Her whole body shook as her own screams joined the one fired at her, shivering and crying and bleeding. The floor underneath her was cold, and so were the walls. Her eyes were shut--as if that would block out the sound--but she'd seen it was concrete before the pain had started well over an hour ago. Or she thought it had been an hour.

It was hard to count when your brain felt like mush, but it had been an endless cycle. Eight minutes of the recorded scream bouncing off the walls and destroying her sensitive ears. Five minutes of pure silence, the only thing she could hear was the ringing in her own ears, and then the vicious cycle started anew.

Penny cried and cried as she waited for these eight horrible minutes to be over, trying desperately to put her hands over her ears only for them to be held back by the thick chains wrapped around them. No matter how hard she strained, they wouldn't break, and she didn't know if it was because they were vibranium or because she hadn't eaten in so long.

Her own cries were washed out by the horrible noise that seemed to slice through her body, her throat raw from all of the screaming and sobbing. She felt like she was going to die, like the sound was going to swallow her whole and drag her down into the murky depths of pain. She tried calling out for Mr. Stark, but he couldn't hear her. He'd been locked in his room while she'd been dragged down to the basement.

The pain was crescendoing, her head feeling like it was splitting two, when the sound finally stopped. She could still hear it though--it echoed in her head, distant and fuzzy.

Her reaction was immediate. She slumped against the wall she was chained to bonelessly, panting and gasping for breath, sobs of pain still racking her body as she shivered. Her senses were all over the place, a dull ringing in her ear washing out all other sound. She couldn't see either, not in this pitch black room, and her spidey sense wouldn't calmed down. Everywhere there was danger--surrounding her, ever present, never leaving.

Penny was still struggling to breathe when a light overhead flicked on without warning, blinding her. She flinched at it, squeezing her eyes shut and shuffling back farther against the wall, as if the cold concrete was going to save her. She felt more than heard the creaky metal door at the other end of the room open, but she paid it no mind. She was so dizzy, and the world around her didn't make any sense, which was why it was a surprise when a cold hand grabbed her chin and lifted it.

She cracked her eyes open, flinching at the light, to see Aurora, her face alight with a cruel smile as she tutted, "Have you learned your lesson?"

Penny nodded, despite not knowing what she was supposed to have learned.

"Goodness, you've ruined your dress, dear. Keep that up and you won't have dinner either."

Her hands were suddenly free of their metal restraints, but her body was too tired to support herself, so instead she leaned heavily against the wall, still panting as she tried to take in the situation around her. Aurora was backing away, heading out of the room and to the doorway, and she panicked for a moment. Was she going to be left here again? Just her and that horrible noise?

But then she caught sight of Mr. Stark, standing rigid in the doorway, staring at her. He was too far away, and her vision too blurry, to see what his expression was, but she got the impression that he was worried when Aurora whispered something in his ear and he rushed over to her without another thought.

One hand rested on her shoulder and the other cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears still flowing from her eyes. Now that he was closer, she could see the worry on his face, strong and clear, and she sobbed. He was okay. He was okay and he was holding her.

"It's over now, Penny. It's over. I'm here now, you're going to be okay," he assured her, but she couldn't stop sobbing. Everything hurt so much.

"Mr--Mr. Stark," she cried, and he hurried to shush her, but she couldn't stop repeating his name, "Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark, Mr--"

Her senses spiked and then suddenly she was being scooped into Mr. Stark's arms, her face pressed into his neck protectively.

"Don't you dare hit her," he whispered menacingly, and she suddenly remembered the rule. She wasn't supposed to call him Mr. Stark. She whimpered at the thought of being hit, and Mr. Stark squeezed her reassuringly.

"She calls you Dad, and I won't," came Aurora's voice, low and threatening.

"Penny, kid, hey," Mr. Stark said, no longer threatening and scary, but loving and scared, "I know it's weird Underoos, but just call me Dad and you're good, okay? No more hurt, alright kiddie?"

She whimpered again--everything hurt so much--but she was beyond the point of being embarrassed anymore as she sobbed, "Dad. _Dad, Dad, Dad!"_

"Very good," she heard Aurora praise, "You can take her up to her room now--you have ten minutes with her. One second over and she's back down here, got it?"

"Got it," Mr. Stark grit out. He gathered her more closely into his arms, pressing her into his chest, as he picked her up. She could feel herself sway as they headed up the stairs, and it took all her power not to pass out or throw up on him. Not that she had much in her stomach to get rid of anyway. She thought he was whispering something to her, but she was too tired to really hear what he was saying.

It felt like she blinked and suddenly Mr. Stark was placing her in her bed in the dusty pink room, and she'd never known he could be so gentle. Then he was gone, but then he was back, a cloth in his hand as he sat her up, wiping her neck and dabbing at her ears, the cloth coming away red. So she had been bleeding. He sighed as he looked at her, his eyes filled with deep regret.

"I'm so sorry, kid. I shouldn't have said anything," he started, but she cut him off.

"It's okay, Mr. Stark, you didn't know," she mumbled, but her voice didn't sound like her voice. It was croaky and overworn, probably from all the screaming and crying.

"Doesn't matter. I told you to keep your mouth shut, and I forgot that that applied to me too. So I'm sorry, for getting you in there," he apologized, grabbing her hand and squeezing, "What--what happened in there? Aurora wouldn't tell me anything."

"There...there was so much screaming, Dad," she didn't even notice the slip up, and he didn't correct her, "At least, I think it was screaming. It was a recording or something, and it was so, _so_ loud. It'd just, play for a while, and then it would stop, and then it just started up again... How long was I in there?"

"Nearly two hours."

"Oh... Did I miss lunch?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I got some waffle this morning. Thanks for that by the way."

Mr. Stark smiled forlornly, "I just wish I could get you more."

"It's okay...I got you," she slurred, Mr. Stark's face disappearing as he lids fluttered closed.

The world was fading around her, hard to distinguish and hard to make sense of, but she was sure she heard Mr. Stark say, "You deserve better, kid."

* * *

Tony had been more careful after Penny had gotten dragged down to the basement for her torture session. Every movement and response was calculated, determined by the thought-- _Will Penny be safe?_

It was a tough mantra to follow, because she wasn't safe, not while she was in this house, but she was safer when she was with him than any other time, so he always made an effort to be near her, even if it made collecting what he needed harder. Aurora had watched over the two of them more closely ever since she'd taken them to see the nursery two days ago. Still, he'd managed to get almost everything he'd needed for his little device, and he needed to finish soon if they had any hope of getting out.

Steve never stayed in one place for long.

Penny had been noticeably more subdued, as well as thinner. She got to eat now, finally, but it still wasn't a lot. Not for a human, and certainly not an enhanced one. In just a few short days her face and wrists had become bonier, her bones more pronounced on her body--which, infuriatingly, Aurora seemed proud of. She still called Penny things though, still told the girl she wasn't pretty enough, that she wasn't thin enough or girlish enough, and he could see it wearing her down a little.

He wanted to tell her that those things weren't true--that she was perfect and kind and the best kid he'd ever met--but he never got any alone time with her anymore. Whenever he saw her Aurora wasn't far behind, and it was a mystery to him how he'd still managed to pass pieces to her without the woman noticing. And now he just needed one last thing, one last thing that was too hard to take without being noticed.

Tony was broken from his thoughts when the couch dipped under a new weight, and he glanced over to see Penny sitting down, finally done with cleaning the house. She flashed him a small smile when she saw him looking at her, but otherwise stayed silent as she turned to watch the news. Him being missing was still a major topic, but it wasn't talked about for long before they moved onto a piece about some new musical that was apparently shattering records.

The man stared blankly at the TV in front of him, every once in a while glancing at the remote on the coffee table. He needed it--that was all he needed to complete the device. But how was he going to put it together? He was fast, sure, but he wouldn't be able to get everything he needed from Penny's room and then make it in the ten minutes that Aurora took her shower. Besides, it would beep (it was unfortunately something he wouldn't be able to get to stop) and it needed time to really get its signal out.

His eyes glanced over at the girl sitting next to him, who was watching the TV with a blank stare, her eyes tired but intelligent. She'd have to put it together. She could--he'd seen her in the lab--after all, he'd seen her webshooters and her goggles. They were amazing technology, even with the lack of good materials. If anyone could make a radio transmitter out of household scraps, it was Penelope Parker.

Slowly, so that Aurora wouldn't see, he moved his hand to Penny's, grabbing it, grateful for the lack of response other than a quick glance in his direction. He began squeezing it, hoping that Penny remembered Morse Code from when he'd taught her the basics a couple of months ago.

_R. E. M. O. T. E._

_R. E. M. O. T. E._

_R. E. M. O. T. E._

He stopped squeezing her hand after he spelled it for the third time, but kept her hand in his, holding his breath as he waited for a response.

_N. E. E. D. ?_

He almost sighed in relief at Penny's response, so beyond glad she understood.

_C. O. M. M. U. N. I. C. A. T. O. R._

It took a moment for her to respond, clearly she was still rusty at Morse Code, but she responded nonetheless.

_I. G. O. T. I. T._

The news segment was coming to a close, and he knew they usually went upstairs in just a few minutes, so he squeezed out an order as quick as he could.

_U. B. U. I. L. D. I. T._

She froze, and she began squeezing back when Aurora got up with a gentle yawn, stretching. He quickly squeezed Steve's number into her hand, praying that it would reach him.

"Alright, I think it's time to get ready for bed. C'mon, Tony. Penny, straighten up the couch and then go straight to your room."

Tony let go of Penny's hand and stood up, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring look, following after their kidnapper reluctantly. She could do it, he knew she could. She was brave and smart and she could handle this. And then...then they'd be free.

* * *

Penny fluffed the pillows on the couch slowly, trying to buy herself time and watching Mr. Stark and Aurora go upstairs out of the corner of her eye. She didn't go for the remote even after they turned the corner, waiting for the sound of the door clicking shut before swirling around and hastily grabbing the remote off of the coffee table.

She swallowed nervously. Aurora didn't usually come back downstairs after she'd gone into her room, but it would be just Penny's luck that she would tonight to see her holding stolen batteries. Without pockets in her skirt, she could do nothing but race upstairs as quietly as she could, placing the remote under her mattress with everything else and changing into her pajamas, her heart racing.

After the teenager had been taken down to the basement, Aurora and Mr. Stark hadn't come to wish her goodnight anymore, so she could probably start on the device now, but something kept her chained to her bed. Fear weighed her down, and she couldn't make herself move. Every thought of moving and working until she _knew_ for certain that Aurora was asleep and wouldn't be popping into her room unexpectedly was replaced by memories of cold walls and shrill sounds.

So she listened, and she waited. Mr. Stark's heart remained the same as ever, refusing to slow down and refusing to sleep. She'd noted that he'd managed to get a couple hours in last night, but she was sure that was more due to pure exhaustion than any feeling of relaxation. Aurora's heart, however, slowed down after a couple of hours, and Penny finally managed to sit up and get out of her bed, her heart still racing.

The teenager flicked on the lamp next to her desk, flinching at the light and glancing back at the door, as if Aurora was going to barge in at that very moment. When nothing happened, she grabbed everything under her bed that Mr. Stark had been passing her for the past four days, putting them on her desk individually, flinching whenever any of the items made a noise, the sound echoing in the stillness of the night.

"Okay, Penny," she muttered on her breath, "Send out a message within a two hundred mile radius--shouldn't be too hard."

She began placing each piece together, trying to picture what Mr. Stark had been imagining when he'd grabbed everything. There were screws and pieces of metal, wires from inside light bulbs, and of course, the remote.

It took an hour--an hour of tense silence, of placing and replacing parts, bending and breaking, piecing and putting together, until it was finally finished. It had to be the most awful looking--yet the most important--thing she'd ever made. She punched in the numbers Mr. Stark had given her, watching as the buttons lit up, beeping painfully loud, but at least it meant it was working. She then typed in the message.

Mr. Stark had said that it was going to Captain America, so as she typed the message, she tried to make it seem like it was from her mentor instead of her. She didn't think the hero would stop everything to come and help Spider-Woman. She held her breath as she watched the remote buttons light up, small beeps coming from the machine, until it let out a _ding!_ of confirmation.

She sighed in relief. The message had been sent.

_"What did you just do?"_

* * *

"Is that everything?"

Steve turned around at Sam's voice, glancing around the ratty apartment he and his team had been staying in for the past week. It was dirty and cheap, but it had been a perfect spot to survey a Hydra agent that they'd been tailing for the past month, gathering contacts and information. The agent had finally moved on, and so they had packed everything up in a rush this morning to keep an eye on the guy--he was too important of a lead to lose track of.

"Ah, yeah. I think so, is--"

He was interrupted by a buzz followed by a loud chime in his pocket, and he froze. That was the phone that only Tony had access to, that only Tony knew the number of. It was the only way Steve had left the man to contact him, though he was sure Tony could find him if he really wanted to. Truth be told, he'd never expected Tony to actually use it--he was too stubborn for that--but it didn't stop him from always carrying it around, from always keeping it on his person, from waiting and waiting for it to ring.

And now it had.

Without a second thought he fished it out of his pocket, Sam rushing to his side to see what it was. He flipped the phone open, frowning when he realized that the number wasn't the one programmed into the phone. Still, he clicked on it, opening the text.

_SOS. Immediately._

_-TS_

Underneath the signature was a list of coordinates barely thirty minutes out with a car.

"Well, I guess we're losing track of this guy," Sam commented, having already seen determination in Steve's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOoOoOoO tell me what you think :-)


	5. Cheeseburgers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the final installment! this was a fun quick project because I've been working on one big fic, and i don't want to take a break from it, but i needed something different. i hope you've enjoyed it as much as i have, because now i'm back in the writing spirit and have so much for my other fic :-)

Night was Tony's least favorite part of the day, for a couple of reasons. The most blaring one being the body cuddled up next to him, cold and bony and unfamiliar. It was something he expected by now, but he was still not used to it in any way shape or form. The less obvious but still anxiety-ridden reason was that he couldn't see Penny. Even if things weren't going great during the day, at least he could keep an eye on her, at least he could assure her, but he couldn't do any of that right now.

If all went right, they'd be out of here soon anyway. Penny had definitely seemed shocked and worried after realizing that she'd be the one to build the device, but he knew she could do it. She was probably working on it now, if she hadn't finished already, and then the message would be out and they'd be home free. He pondered escape for a while, what it'd be like to be home with Pepper instead, to hug Rhodey and to actually know that Penny was safe and fed. It sounded like heaven itself.

Tony wasn't sure what had woken Aurora, but one moment she was still and the next she was squirming in his arms, blinking awake. He flinched when he realized that her irises were glowing purple, shining in the dark room.

"Ugh, what time is it?" she asked, untangling herself from him (thankfully) as she sat up in bed. He followed suit, nervously glancing at the door. Penny couldn't be discovered.

"Um, I don't know," he responded, making his voice groggy as if he'd just woken up, "Why?"

"Penny, she's scared."

"What--how do you--"

"I can feel it, she's terrified," she muttered, and he suddenly remembered the woman's powers, how she said she'd felt his pain even from far away. But he thought that'd been just crazy talk, and if she knew that Penny was scared...

"Penny has nightmares, it's probably just that," he tried to excuse, "I'm going back to bed."

He laid back down, hoping that Aurora would follow along, but she got out of the bed, and he watched cautiously as she put her slippers on. Her eyes were still glowing, brighter and brighter by the second, as if they were feeding off of Penny's fear.

"I'm going to see what she's up to," Aurora informed him, stepping towards the door, and his heart lurched.

"She just has nightmares," he told her defensively, "She wouldn't do anything, not after what you did to her in the basement."

"What _you_ did to her, Tony," she corrected, and his face twitched angrily. She opened the door, flicking on the light in the hallway, and he jumped up, moving to follow her, "I'm going to see what's happening, you stay here."

"But--"

The door clicked shut behind her, locking it like she always did, but he still rushed to the door, pulling at it and twisting as hard as he could. Penny--he needed to alert Penny. But there wasn't enough time, not enough time to tell her, much less for her to put everything away and pretend to be asleep. He pictured Penny, blood leaking from her ears and down onto her neck, tears dripping from her chin, her face somehow pale and flushed at the same time as she shook. He didn't want to have to see that again. He didn't want her to go through that horror again.

He should've prepared better. Should've known that something would go wrong, that having Penny build the device would end in her getting hurt. He should've just built it himself, taken whatever punishment had come his way, because surely it would be better than--

_"What did you just do?"_ he heard Aurora shriek, and his stomach dropped. He had to get out, he had to protect her, he had to--he had to calm down. Penny was strong and smart and he was no help to her struggling to breathe. What he needed to do was get out of this room. He began looking for something to pick the lock; a paperclip, a bobby pin, _anything,_ when he heard it.

It was unlike any noise he'd ever heard before. It was a scream, but not really. It was unnatural and warped, somehow high and low at the same time--and it hurt. Even from where he was, in an entirely different room, his ears still hurt at the disturbing sound. He couldn't imagine what Penny must be feeling. How badly she must be hurting. How badly he'd hurt her.

Unsuccessful in finding anything to pick the lock, he tried for brute strength instead. True, it wasn't his best quality, but it was all he had at the moment. He approached the door and kicked at its weak point. It moved, but not enough. He kicked and kicked, the warped scream mixed with what he had identified as Penny's own screams fueled him enough to finally give the door one last shove.

It swung open, the lock breaking like paper, and then he was running.

Penny and Aurora were in the hallway by the stairs, and he didn't even pause at how it was _Aurora_ screaming, the air around Penny distinguishable, as if it were being broken. Penny was on the floor, her hands over her head as she sobbed, clearly in so much pain phantom pains were running up and down his own body.

He ran forward, and in the split second before he barreled into her, Aurora looked away from where she'd been shrieking at Penny, the sound and the warped air disappearing. He grabbed her around her waist, throwing her onto the ground where they tumbled down the stairs. He could feel bruises forming from where the wood hit his body, but the pained yelps from Aurora seemed to heal them immediately.

When they finally came to a stop on the floor, Aurora was on top of him, her eyes shining and furious as she glared at him. She put her hands on his neck before he could make a move, restricting his airway as he struggled to breathe.

"TONY!!" she screamed, her voice full of malice and frustration, "I HAVE _TRIED_ BEING NICE! I HAVE _TRIED_ BEING PATIENT! KEEPING PENNY HERE WAS A _GIFT,_ BUT IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO--"

He punched her in the face.

The blow wasn't strong enough to send her reeling like he'd hoped, but she still let go of his neck, instinctively grabbing at her nose with a yelp of pain. Finally able to breathe, he pushed the woman off of him, sending her sprawling to the floor as he scrambled to his feet.

"Do me a favor and shut the fuck up," he spit out. She glared at him from where she was on the floor, her eyes narrowed dangerously, glowing behind the hair that had fallen in her face.

"Fine then," she gasped, "If you don't want to hear it from me."

Tony was flung across the room with startling force, only stopping when he hit the wall, his breath leaving his body from hitting the wall. He was laying on his stomach, wheezing, as he pushed himself up onto all fours, looking up to see what had hit him.

"Penny?"

The girl stood beside Aurora, stiff and defensive, as if she hadn't just been screaming upstairs barely a minute ago. He knew it wasn't really her, confirmed by how her eyes were glowing purple, not even looking at him, and unseeing anyway. Okay, so, he was up against a girl who could climb walls and could lift literal tons, who--for the first time ever--would not be holding back. Wonderful.

He forced himself up onto his feet, taking in deep gulps of air. He just needed to hold Penny off until help arrived, assuming she'd managed to get the message out. If no one was coming...then he'd figure it out as he went along. After all, that was what he did.

"Oh, she's not Penny anymore. Not really," Aurora taunted, grabbing the girl's chin and turning her face to look at her critically, "No thoughts in her head other than what I tell her. No way to break free unless I let her go. So she'll fight and fight--she'll fight to the death. The question is: Will you let her?"

"So that's your plan, huh? Hide behind a fifteen year-old and let her do your dirty work?" he challenged, but Aurora just smiled dangerously.

Penny rushed forward so fast he barely had any time to move. He managed to dive out of the way at the last second, scrambling up and moving, not even looking back at where Penny had punched the wall instead of him. He didn't have to see the wood to know that it had splintered.

He dove around the couch, frantically searching for an exit. Penny fought better when she had things to bounce off of, so if he could lead her into an open space, he might be able to get her down. Knocking her out, while not preferable, would be the easiest way to get her out of this without hurting her too much.

A tall window, just across the room, looked like it would be big enough. He might not be able to get through it, but if he could get Penny to punch it, it would shatter and then he could dive through.

Mind made up, he scrambled out of the way of another hit from Penny, catching her arm, twisting, and throwing her to the ground. He winced at her grunt of pain, but the girl flipped and caught herself before she actually hit the floor, so he didn't feel too bad.

Tony jumped over the couch, landing heavily and skidding as he made a sharp turn, rushing to where the window was. He was well aware of Penny barely a few feet behind him, not held back by jumping around or not having a good grip on the floor, but he'd thought he'd managed to get close enough to the window without too much damage when she barreled into him.

The force was too great, and both he and Penny were launched through the window. The glass shattered as they landed on the ground heavily, shards cutting and digging into his skin. He choked on a scream at a splitting pain in his leg as he was sprawled on the ground, feeling Penny let go of him as they bounced off the ground. He groaned in pain, forcing himself onto his knees once again, ignoring his hopefully not broken leg.

"C'mon, Penny, work with me here," he complained, getting up only to have a punch to his face send him sprawling once again. That was going to leave a bruise.

"She doesn't want to work with you, Tony," he heard Aurora say, and he looked to his right to see her stepping down and out of the window gracefully, "She doesn't even know who you are. You're just the person in her way."

Tony looked over at the girl, scrambling backwards as she stalked towards him threateningly, and he realized that Aurora was right. Penny's eyes were unseeing, blank, looking at him but not really. His heart was beating fast in his chest as fear and adrenaline coursed through him. Was she going to kill him? Was Aurora going to kidnap another Avenger and try again with them instead? What was she going to do with Penny? With Pepper?

His thoughts were cut short when Penny picked him up, her hands wrapped around his throat, and slammed him against the wall of the house. Her face was stony, cold, as if she were deep in thought instead of currently killing him. He tried prying her hands off of him, but he couldn't breathe, and every attempt was weak and uncoordinated.

"Penny," he croaked out, slapping her arm, "Kid, you gotta let go. I know you're in there somewhere, Underoos."

"Oh but she's not. At least, not at the moment," Aurora said, stepping forward to look over them, a cruel smile alight on her face.

"So what happens next? You kill me and--" he let out a strangled gasp, "And then what?"

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you." His look of surprise made her giggle, "No, the problem was Penny, not you, Tony. Look at her, she's dangerous and she's hurting you."

"You're making her," he spat.

"I can only do so much. I just nudge emotions along, heighten them, focus them. She wouldn't be doing this if she didn't want to, deep down. But no, I won't let her kill you. The moment you pass out we're packing up and leaving--I don't know what Penny made, but I'm not sticking around to find out."

"What are you--going...going to do with Penny?" he gasped out, trying to speak with Penny's hands still on his throat.

"I wasn't kidding about that friend. I called him a bit ago--said he'd pay handsomely for a superpowered wife. Superpowered wife makes superpowered kids, he said."

"You--you can't," he protested, his blood running cold as he glanced at the girl in front of him, fearful, "She's fifteen! You can't--"

"I will and I am," Aurora interrupted, "You can't stop me, Tony, and really, everything will be so much better with her gone. So, she'll knock you out and we'll be on our way."

She was true to her word. Black spots were dancing across his vision as he tried pointlessly to get Penny to let go of him. He had no idea when--or if--the Rogues would get here, and if they were both incapacitated...he didn't want to think about it. But any attempt to get Penny's hands off of him were futile, and he could feel his throat being crushed. It hurt, more than he would care to admit, and he was sure he'd have bruises for weeks after all of this was said and done.

"Penny," he wheezed out, and even he could barely hear his own voice, "Penny, please. It's Mr. Stark--it's Tony. You gotta let go. You--you gotta let go..."

The last thing he saw before his deep nothingness completely overtook him was a familiar swirl of copper flickering in Penny's purple eyes as she looked up at him, really looked at him, and a ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. She'd figure it out. He knew she could.

* * *

Penny was vaguely aware of everything that had been happening. It was like being trapped in a movie theater that should be shut down due to its shitty quality, except the movie theater was her mind. She knew Aurora had seen her send the message, had seen the device and had heard the beeps, and the woman had dragged her out of her room. She'd been frozen with fear, imagining having to be back in that basement, but she didn't have to imagine the pain. Because Aurora had been screaming at her, and it was then that she realized that that horrible sound had been coming from _her._

Everything after that was a little hazy. She was aware of the pain stopping and instead being replaced by the feeling of overwhelming fear and the _absolute need_ to hit the blurry figure in front of her. She didn't know why, but it didn't matter, nothing else mattered than knocking out this unknown person. But she knew she didn't like to hurt, that it caused pain, and she didn't like that. Still, she'd chased him around, barely feeling it when glass cut at her skin or when she fell harshly on the ground--the man had taken the brunt of the impact anyway.

Now she felt her hands pressed against his neck as she held him up against the wall, him weakly pulling at her arms or slapping at her wrists. He was looking at her, but she wasn't looking at him. Not really.

"Penny," the man croaked, the word fuzzy and floating across her mind blankly--hard to catch. _Penny..._ it was familiar, though she didn't know why. Why wasn't important anyway. He continued to talk, his words floaty and barely recognizable, "Kid...let go. I know you're...Underoos."

Underoos?

_"All right, I've run out of patience. Underoos!"_

She remembered that, though she didn't know how. It was fuzzy and distant, yet accompanied by the feeling of unending excitement and disbelief. Where did she--how did she know that?

"You--you....She's fifteen! You..." he spoke again, his voice weak and struggling against her strength, his words in and out of focus for her. Fifteen, she was fifteen wasn't she? The thought was gone before she could ponder it anymore, swept away in a tide of calculated anger, punctuated by every word the woman behind her spoke. Her controller. Why was she being controlled?

His voice broke through again, and this time it was clearer. It was quiet, unbelievably quiet, but she could hear him. She could understand him.

"Penny. Penny, please. It's Mr. Stark--it's Tony. You gotta let go. You--you gotta let go..."

She blinked and suddenly the world around her disappeared.

_"How was school, Pen?" asked Mr. Stark. She smiled, setting down her heavy bag and dropping into her chair, which rolled with the impact._

_"I had a test today in Algebra, but I feel really good about it. How was your day, Mr. Stark?" she replied almost disbelievingly. She'd never thought she'd be having this kind of casual conversation with Iron Man, but it didn't feel out of place. It felt normal, easy, like it was something he'd asked her her whole life._

_"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Tony?"_

_"Nope. It's Mr. Stark forever, Mr. Stark."_

_He groaned, but he was smiling, as he ruffled her newly short hair, inviting her over to look at what he was working on._

Penny. That was her, she was Penny. And Mr. Stark--Tony--he was her mentor. He was like her dad, he was like her dad and she was hurting him. She tried to move her arms, but they wouldn't yield their grip, and she glanced up at where the man was still struggling, her eyes locking onto his. His eyes flooded with relief when she did, smiling softly and sadly, and then he closed his eyes. And then he closed his eyes and they didn't open back up.

_Mr. Stark!_ she tried to yell, but she couldn't open her mouth, even thinking his name was exhausting. She let go of his neck, watching as he crumpled to the ground, but it didn't feel like she'd made the choice to let him go, more like her hand had moved without her meaning too. Still, she guessed she was thankful she was no longer hurting him.

God, she'd hurt him! Bruises were beginning to form around his eye and his neck, and he had cuts _everywhere,_ probably with little shards of glass still in some of them. She'd hurt him and hadn't done a thing to stop it, had just punched and kicked and strangled without an inch of remorse, and now he was laying in front of her, his breaths weak and his leg twisted in a way that made her think she'd broken it. She was going to be sick.

A wave of need--an order--washed over her, urging her to pick the man up and take him to the front of the house, and it took all of her willpower to keep herself from moving. Her legs shook with the effort of keeping them still, and she curled her hands into fists as she bit her lip, concentrating like she'd never concentrated before. Penny couldn't do anything else Aurora told her to do--but it was so hard. The cold feeling was creeping over her once more. But the Avengers were coming, right? They had to be, or else she and Mr. Stark were doomed.

"What are you doing, you brat!?" Aurora hissed from behind her, and she felt the woman stalk up to her. She didn't move though. She knew that if she moved she wouldn't be able to deny the orders she was being given. No, she had to stay perfectly still, even as the cold feeling became so strong that it _hurt._ The smack to her head was almost welcome, the distraction from the freezing pain making her almost sigh in relief.

"You're...a bitch," she spat out, the words choking and hard.

And then they were fighting.

Aurora had thrown the first punch, and whatever she'd done, it had broken her concentration--and thus her hold on Penny. She felt warm all of the sudden, and the feeling of freedom had her almost sagging in relief, even with the ringing in her head from the punch.

She dodged another punch thrown her way, kicking her in the stomach with probably a little too much force, relishing how the woman left cracks in the wall from the impact. With a frenzied yell, Aurora threw herself at Penny, but this time the teen was too slow. Her vision was too dizzy, her limbs too heavy, and the sudden rush of adrenaline she'd had at first had been taken away when Aurora had begun controlling her. So this time she was barreled into, grunting when her back made contact with the grass underneath her.

At least the ground was soft.

Still, her head rang and she bad to blink away dark spots in her vision, but she was too slow to slap away the hands that pressed around her neck. She struggled to breathe almost immediately, wheezing as she pulled at Aurora's hands, but she could feel some of the woman's control taking over her again, weakening her blows.

This was what Tony had felt like, she realized. Except he'd been hurt by someone he trusted--and he so rarely put his trust in people, he'd been wrong to put it in her. The thought made tears spring to her eyes, though it may have also been partly thanks to Aurora glaring down at her with a crazed smile, her eyes glowing so greedily it made her shiver.

"It's almost a pity to get rid of you. Your emotions are so raw, so _strong._ Your fear, your jealousy, and your guilt now--it's so _beautiful._ But a deal is a deal, and Vincent is going to love--"

With a yelp of shock, Aurora was thrown off of her, tumbling onto the ground beside her. Penny immediately pushed herself up off the ground, ignoring how her vision flooded, making her unable to see anything, and stumbling back. Hands grabbed at her, catching her arms, but she struggled against them.

"Let me go! Let me go!" she screamed, trying to get herself out of the grip--she had to get to Mr. Stark!--but the arms just wrapped around her tighter, folding her own arms against her chest and holding onto her from behind in restraint. She still struggled, but her vision was clearing, and she could finally see the scene in front of her, "Holy shit the Black Widow."

Aurora was fighting with said superhero--and she wasn't winning. The Avenger was overtaking her easily, each punch and kick and roll thrown so deftly and easily that Penny thought the woman must have been doing this since she was born. She then took in the arms still holding her, now dragging her back over to the house, looking up to see Captain America. _Woah._

But where was Mr. Stark? Was he still unconscious? Had they not seen him?

"Mr--Mr. Stark!" she bit out, much to Mr. Rogers' confusion, "He's--he's hurt! He's over by the--"

"Sam's with him, kid. Come on, we've got to look you over too," he encouraged, hesitantly letting go of her. She glanced back over to where the Black Widow and Aurora were, surprised to see that her kidnapper was already on the ground. Something in her chest loosened, but it immediately returned when she thought about Mr. Stark.

The moment Mr. Rogers let go of her, she was racing over to Mr. Stark. The Falcon was indeed with him, kneeling over the man, checking his pulse. He looked dead--pale and bruised and bloody, and all she could think was, _Not Mr. Stark. Please, not Mr. Stark._

Mr. Wilson looked up as she approached, holding out a hand in an effort to slow her down, but she made no effort to, instead sliding with the momentum as she fell onto her knees beside her mentor. He was still unconscious, and if it weren't for her ability to hear his heartbeat, she'd think he was dead.

Seeing her panic, Mr. Wilson gave her a steadying look, "He'll be alright, kid. And believe me, he's been through worse."

"Thank you," was all she managed to say, but he seemed to get it.

"We wouldn't leave Stark here. He's an ass, but if he calls for help, we're here. And believe me, he is a _huge_ ass." 

"I resent that," came the croaky voice of Mr. Stark, blinking up at them with a disgruntled expression, but it softened when his gaze landed on her. Her shoulders sagged in relief. He was awake. He was awake and alive and okay. She was about to throw her arms around him in relief when she suddenly remembered her hands around his neck, him pleading with her to let him go, and she replaced her fists in her lap.

"If you're well enough to be making jokes you're well enough to get your own ass home, Tony," commented the Black Widow. Penny looked up to stare at the woman, who was standing beside Captain America. Aurora was laying on the ground behind them, clearly passed out and tied up with a thin but strong looking rope.

"Please, you know I'll be on my deathbed and still cracking jokes," Mr. Stark responded, sitting up a little against the wall. He then gestured at her, his expression turning a little more guarded, "Anyway, everyone meet Penny. Penny, say hi to the jackasses."

"Hi," she said meekly, "Uh, I don't think you're jackasses though."

The Avengers laughed lightly, smiling at her in amusement and what she thought was worry. There was also genuine curiosity in their eyes as they looked at her, clearly wondering who she actually was and why she was here with Tony.

"Alright, let's get back to the car," Mr. Rogers said, "We've got a phone there. You can call Rhodey, get home."

"Sounds great," Mr. Stark replied, trying to push himself up but falling short thanks to his leg. Thanks to her, "Yep, that's broken."

"Sorry," she mumbled, holding out a hand and pulling him up. He leaned on her heavily, throwing his arm around her as she supported him.

"Don't want to hear it kid, you were being mind controlled."

"Wait, _you_ did all this?" Mr. Wilson asked, and she shied away from his accusing stare, "How did--oh my God you're her aren't you?"

"Um...who's her?" she asked, playing dumb. Please don't mean Spider-Woman. Please don't mean Spider-Woman. Please don't mean Spider--

"The spider chick. That's you--I recognize your voice."

"Uhhh--I plead the fifth."

Mr. Stark snorted, and then they were walking to the front of the house, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Wilson muttering about her age or something, but she didn't pay attention, didn't care. Mr. Stark was limping, making his way slowly to the car--only able to with her help--because of her. She should've broken through sooner, should've been more careful so Aurora didn't find her out, should've--

"I can see you and your guilt complex over there, Underoos," Mr. Stark said, interrupting her train of thought.

"No you can't. I'm fine."

"Uhuh. You're a terrible liar, you know? Out with it."

"I hurt you..." she mumbled after a moment, avoiding Mr. Stark's eyes.

"It wasn't your fault. She made you."

"But--"

"Not your fault," he interrupted, "Can you say that for me?"

"Not your fault," Penny repeated, but she sighed when he gave her a look, _"Fine._ Not _my_ fault."

"There ya go."

They finally arrived at the car, which was a boring looking minivan. Mr. Wilson opened the trunk, allowing for Mr. Stark to sit in the car while he reset his leg. Penny took to cleaning and bandaging his cuts while the Avenger wrapped her mentor's leg. At least she was doing something productive, healing instead of hurting.

Mr. Stark watched her worriedly the whole time, even as he was passed a crappy fliphone and dialed Colonel Rhodes' number. When both of them were finally bandaged, Mr. Stark hugged her. She stiffened at first--he shouldn't be hugging her, she'd hurt him! He should be mad and betrayed and not wanting anything to do with her--but after a moment, she let herself relax, melting into his side.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, rubbing circles into her back, not even caring that there were other people--other _Avengers--_ nearby. All she cared about was Mr. Stark, who was whispering soothing words into her ear as tears leaked out of her eyes.

"It's okay, Penny. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault. She can't hurt you anymore," he soothed.

"I hurt you! Not her," she sobbed back, and she felt him shake his head.

"No, that was her. All her, kiddo. By your logic, I hurt you too."

"But you didn't."

"Exactly, so you didn't hurt me either."

"This feels like a trick," she muttered. But he was holding her. He was holding her and a Quinjet was on the way to take them home, to take her back to May and away from this horrible place. And she'd get to finally eat something. "Can we get cheeseburgers?"

Mr. Stark snorted, "As many cheeseburgers as you'd like."

Barely ten feet away she heard Mr. Wilson whisper, "Holy shit, Stark's a dad."

They smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the ending feels weak to me, but i had a lot of fun and i hope you did too reading this! <3<3


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